Which carpal bone is located in the anatomical snuffbox?

Which carpal bone is located in the anatomical snuffbox?

• A. Lunate
• B. Scaphoid
• C. Capitate
• D. Hamate

Answer: (B)

The important idea is which bone sits in the anatomical snuffbox. The snuffbox is a hollow on the back of the wrist when the thumb is extended, bounded by tendons of the thumb muscles. Its floor is formed mainly by the scaphoid (and the trapezium), with the scaphoid lying right under the radial side of the snuffbox. That positioning makes the scaphoid the bone you feel or assess when you palpate the snuffbox, and it’s the one most classically associated with snuffbox tenderness after a fall. The other carpal bones—lunate, capitate, and hamate—are located in different parts of the wrist and do not form the snuffbox floor, so they aren’t the bone described by this landmark. If tenderness is felt in the snuffbox after trauma, it points toward the scaphoid, and imaging is often warranted to check for a fracture.

The important idea is which bone sits in the anatomical snuffbox. The snuffbox is a hollow on the back of the wrist when the thumb is extended, bounded by tendons of the thumb muscles. Its floor is formed mainly by the scaphoid (and the trapezium), with the scaphoid lying right under the radial side of the snuffbox. That positioning makes the scaphoid the bone you feel or assess when you palpate the snuffbox, and it’s the one most classically associated with snuffbox tenderness after a fall.

The other carpal bones—lunate, capitate, and hamate—are located in different parts of the wrist and do not form the snuffbox floor, so they aren’t the bone described by this landmark. If tenderness is felt in the snuffbox after trauma, it points toward the scaphoid, and imaging is often warranted to check for a fracture.